Abstract
Using specific gravity columns, the densities of a series of laundered cotton fabrics at 13 levels of regain were determined and compared with values obtained by a flotation method. Pretreatment to remove entrapped air included either centrifuging in organic liquids or boiling in xylene. Water sorption and density curves of the laundered cottons were compared with those of an unlaundered control. Stamm's formula was used for calculations of apparent compression of water.
With the unlaundered cotton at low levels of regain, where presumably no mechani cally held water is present, all methods gave comparable results. Variation in values appeared in the control above 3% regain and in the cottons degraded by laundering at all humidity levels. Boiling laundered samples in xylene caused a significant rise in density value.
A statistical analysis showed that the gradient method is less sensitive and less re liable than the flotation method for density determinations on degraded cottons.
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